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"You look at David West's numbers and it looks like he's having an OK season. The son-of-a-gun could average 20 and 10 if he wanted to but he leading our team in sacrifice and team play. He's stepping aside and letting Lance Stephenson and Paul George grow as players and develop into the beasts that they are at the wing spot. He's capable of doing what he did tonight, a seemingly easy 20 (points) and 8 (rebounds) in 27 minutes. He's a big reason why we have the record we have now is his sacrifice for this basketball team. It's really something special"
This homage to the efforts of David West came courtesy of Frank Vogel when dedicated part of his post-game comments on Friday to highlighting the value David West brings to the Pacers, essentially making a pitch for his power forward to make the All-Star team based on his dominance in team-related impact which isn't captured on a stat sheet or SportVu camera.
West scored 20 points on Friday while playing with a make-shift glove to protect a swollen and sore knuckle on his shooting hand. The injury flared up in Atlanta, which in hindsight makes West's shooting struggles early on against the Hawks make more sense.
So do you think West will make the All-Star game?
Candace Buckner breaks down the Pacers potential All-Stars and includes West and Lance Stephenson to go along with shoe-ins, Paul George and Roy Hibbert. Nothing would please me more than to see West selected as an All-Star, but sacrifice is not a stat that helps earn trips to the showcase game.
Besides, I'm sure West would appreciate the honor of an All-Star nod, but I also think he'd prefer to enjoy the time off to rest his body and stay sharp for the stretch run of the regular season.
Check out the links:
How many Pacers will get All-Star nod? - Indy Star
West Leading Pacers in Sacrifice and Team Play | THE OFFICIAL SITE OF THE INDIANA PACERS
Pacers Weekly: Frank Vogel | Pacers Blogs
Around the House: Frank Vogel on the Colts | Pacers Blogs
Pacers Weekly: Sekou Smith | Pacers Blogs
Denari’s Den: Krissy Myers | Pacers Blogs
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